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[QUOTE="OrangePA, post: 35098, member: 204"]
I know.

And you know why the ratings are so good?

Because of gambling. Everybody has money on the games in one form or another, whether it's an office pool or a parlay or suicide or fantasy football.

The proliferation of NFL gambling explains a lot.

It explains why most fans do not seem all that concerned about the arbitrary character of the game - nobody really knows what is or what is not holding or PI or when either will be called. And nobody really understands all the bizzare rules. That doesn't matter because all of that renders the game one of chance - no different than blackjack or roulette. The arbitrary nature of the game is in essence part of the game's appeal or understood by the gambling nature of the game to be part of its core.

Gambling also explains why we now have replays. To the extent that it is possible, the fans must be convinced that the games are honestly officiated because if there is any chance that the games are fixed, less people will gamble and less people will watch on TV.

Gambling and the appeal of NFL Football also explains the overwhelming popularity of fantasy football.

And the fact is that even I don't really like what has devloped with the game, I'm just as guilty as anybody else. I play in a weekly NFL suicide  game with a bunch of people and used to play in a fantasy league.

But the game itself isn't all that good. I find it hard to watch.

I watch Redzone but that's about it.
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